From the Green Industrial Revolution to the Ecological Revolution

The author contends that de-industrialisation is not a viable path to ecological goals, as industry is essential for financing welfare states, creating sustainable jobs, and providing the technology needed for the energy transition. The text advocates for a European industrial policy that internalises environmental costs via carbon pricing and ecotaxation, while ensuring social inclusiveness to overcome political resistance from carbon and nuclear lobbies.

• To limit global warming to 2°C, humanity must reduce total greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050, with industrialised countries needing an 80% reduction. For Europe, this requires decreasing emissions from an average of 10 tonnes per capita in 2008 to two tonnes of CO2, potentially increasing to six tonnes if imported goods are included.
• The document identifies five reasons why a strong industrial base is necessary for the ecological transition: the need for tax revenue to fund welfare states, the potential for sustainable job creation, the necessity of industrial expertise (such as in the steel industry) for sustainable living, the risk of importing goods from regions with lower environmental standards, and the sector's existing track record in improving resource productivity.
• Resource efficiency does not automatically lead to reduced CO2 emissions, as evidenced by Luxembourg, which has high resource productivity but the worst per capita CO2 emissions (21.7 tonnes in 2009), while Bulgaria has low resource productivity but lower emissions (6 tonnes per capita).
• The author argues that carbon pricing is the only effective way to prevent the 'rebound effect,' where efficiency gains lead to increased emissions. However, green taxation in the EU has decreased over the last decade, and further progress requires linking ecotaxation to social justice and income inequality reduction to gain political and labour support.

APA

Lechat, B. (2013). From the Green Industrial Revolution to the Ecological Revolution. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/from-the-green-industrial-revolution-to-the-ecological-revolution/

Chicago

Lechat, Benoît. From the Green Industrial Revolution to the Ecological Revolution. Green European Journal, 2013. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/from-the-green-industrial-revolution-to-the-ecological-revolution/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Lechat |first1=Benoît |title=From the Green Industrial Revolution to the Ecological Revolution |publisher=Green European Journal |date=1 October 2013 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/from-the-green-industrial-revolution-to-the-ecological-revolution/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{lechat2013from, author = {Lechat, Benoît}, title = {{From the Green Industrial Revolution to the Ecological Revolution}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2013}, month = oct, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/from-the-green-industrial-revolution-to-the-ecological-revolution/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }